<nettime> Update on Lawsuit against Leonardo Arts Group

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@transmediale.de>]

   From: "roger malina" <rmalina@prontomail.com>
   Date: Wed, May 9, 2001, 7:04 pm
   Leonardo Electronic Almanac                 VOLUME 9, NO. 2

   <Update on Lawsuit against Leonardo Arts Group >
   
   Roger Malina, Chair, Leonardo/ISAST. E-mail: < leo@mitpress.mit.edu >
   9 March 2001
   
   I regret to inform you that the lawsuit by Transasia against the non-profit
   arts group Leonardo has not yet been resolved and will not come to trial 
   until late April 2001. The matter continues to consume large amounts of our 
   energy and resources.
   
   Transasia and the venture capital group Leonardo Finance have sued
   Association Leonardo in France for a million dollars in damages, claiming 
   lost business because search engines often retrieve our Web sites rather 
   that theirs. Leonardo Finance claims to have obtained a French trademark 
   recently on the word Leonardo, which we have now requested be overturned 
   because of our prior use in the publication of the art journal Leonardo 
   since 1967 (we note that a similar affair has been brought to a successful 
   conclusion by the etoy art group).
   
   The trial was originally scheduled to be held in December 2000 but at the
   request of the litigants, Transasia, the trial was delayed because the
   litigants informed the judge that they were not ready to argue the case 
   at that time.
   
   We note that the search engine www.google.com continues to list our Web sites
   high on their search.
   
   All e-mails received by Transasia and Leonardo Finance from supporters of the
   Leonardo network have been deposited as evidence with the judge by Leonardo
   Finance.
   
   Leonardo continues to solicit donations for its Leonardo Legal Defense
   Fund to allow us to successfully fight this absurd case.
   
   An auction of a donated work by pioneering art and technology artist Sonia
   Sheridan will be held at the end of March through ebay. Also to be
   auctioned on ebay are a hat and scarf knitted from wool shorn form the 
   Leonardo Ram. The Leonardo Ram was named "Leonardo" by Harry Koenig in 
   support of the Leonardo Legal Defense Fund. Further information on the 
   ebay auction can be found on the Leonardo Legal Defense Fund site at:
    < http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/lawsuit.html >

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